Jeffrey Wilkins, MD, Named Inaugural Chair in Addiction Medicine at January 24 Ceremony

Los Angeles - February 13, 2007 – Addiction Medicine expert Jeffrey N. Wilkins, MD, vice chair of the Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Neurosciences at Cedars-Sinai Medical Center, was named the inaugural Lincy Foundation/Andrew Heyward-Amy Moynihan Endowed Chair in Addiction Medicine at a ceremony on January 24. The Chair will fund research and teaching efforts focused on the causes and treatments for addiction.

Wilkins, the director of addiction medicine at Cedars-Sinai, is a Distinguished Fellow of the American Psychiatric Association and is a board member of several organizations including the California Society of Addiction Medicine and the Brent Shapiro Foundation for Drug Awareness. A prolific researcher, he has published more than 150 papers in medical and psychiatric journals on topics including treatment and prevention of substance abuse in adults, adolescents and children; pharmakinetics of abused substances; and substance abuse and mental illness.

“Dr. Wilkins’ lifelong commitment to shedding light on the why people become substance abusers and what can be done to help them makes him the ideal choice for this inaugural chair,” said Shlomo Melmed, M.D., senior vice president of academic affairs at Cedars-Sinai Medical Center.

“This endowment will enable him to continue the meaningful research and teaching for which he is so well respected ”

Wilkins was awarded his medical degree from the University of California San Diego School of Medicine and studied neurology at Queen’s Square in London, England. He completed his psychiatry training at the UCLA Neuropsychiatric Institute in 1977.

The Lincy Foundation

The Lincy Foundation was formed by Kirk Kerkorian in 1989 in response to the devastating earthquake in Spitak, Armenia. Twenty-five thousand people lost their lives in this earthquake. The substantial contributions from the foundation provided housing to thousands of displaced individuals and families as well as the reconstruction of roads and other key infrastructure. During the 17 years since its founding, the Lincy Foundation has continued to provide support to the citizens of Armenia while also providing financial support to the humanitarian efforts of numerous U.S. non-profit groups. The non-profit Lincy Foundation is funded by Kerkorian’s company Tracinda, named for both of his daughters, Tracy and Linda.

Andrew Heyward

Andrew Heyward is the Chairman and Chief Executive Officer of DIC Entertainment. Under Heyward’s leadership, DIC has produced more than 3000 half hours of family programming which have aired on all the major networks and children’s channels. Heyward participates in numerous community activities, and sits on many boards including the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children, Mediascope (an entertainment industry watchdog agency), the Museum of Television and Radio, the Wallis Annenberg Cultural Center of Beverly Hills and the Board of Directors for Cedars-Sinai Medical Center. Heyward is the father of three children, all of whom were born at Cedars-Sinai. Reflecting a long-standing connection by the Heyward family to Cedars-Sinai, Andrew’s mother received numerous awards for her many years of volunteer work at the Medical Center.

Amy Moynihan

Amy Moynihan is Vice President of Marketing at the Los Angeles Times. A newcomer to Los Angeles, she moved to Southern California from Chicago less than two years ago. She has been a kids and family marketing executive for nearly 20 years, including Disney, Hasbro, and McDonald’s. Upon assuming the Los Angeles Times position, she initiated the “Looking Back – Leading Forward” motto based on the 125th anniversary of the paper. Moynihan has contributed financially to programs that provide medical assistance to children with cancer. She is actively involved in volunteer programs that work with children who lack parental support.